My bass sounds dead, all the time.

[Blankandson]

I don't think this has been suggested yet, but have you gotten your hearing checked lately? I had some hearing issues years ago (which resolved itself thankfully over about a month) and during that time I hated playing anything on bass. It just sounded 'dead' all the time. Once my hearing was back it sounded wonderful again. Just a thought. I was 60 when my hearing got messed up.

 

[John Batson]

Some p basses have more balls and others have more p ness.

 

[Manuel Bass]

Sounds resonant unplugged? Try bypassing tone and volume controls and check the joint between neck and body

 

[G-Point]

Quick question, I have a 90’s P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds “dull”. For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Quick question, I have a 90’s P bass. No matter what strings, pickups and pots I put in this thing it just sounds “dull”. For pickups I have put in Duncan SPB 3 (current), spb4, dimarzio model p, emg p, emg px, geezer p. And they all sound like poop. I put all those pickups in other basses and sound amazing. I have also used 250k and 500k pots in any combination. 25k for the active. I have also tried nickel, SS, coated, cobalt and kryptonite lol. It has a maple jazz neck, hipshot tuners and a gotoh bridge. Can a bass body just create a constant dead, no treble bass tone?

Hi Dave,
Check your bass bridge plate's contact with a bass body - directly UNDER the saddles! Some 80+% of classic bridge plate designs more or less but have this problem - resulting in dead and resonating notes, reduced sustain, lost attack, boomy and dull tone etc. Some case you can even put a piece of paper in there... )) Just releasing of the bridge plate's to body screws often helps - they generally have an ANCHOR function, but often are overtightened! But the full and cheap solution forever is adding 4 (or 5, or 6) bridge plate to body flat-head / countersunk self-tapping stainless steel screws (G4 x 1"/25mm) - directly under every saddle, in the mid of the saddle height screws. Find approx individual octave intonation position of the saddles before drilling holes. Use medium tightening for stable contact between the bridge plate and body. It takes some 30 minutes to do. I would suggest it on/for every bass guitar. Good luck!

 

[BasEd]

I had a mid 70's P-bass that the only sound that came out of it was a THUD. No combination of parts/strings would make a difference. Some trees just don't want to be guitars.

“Some trees just don't want to be guitars”. This gets my vote for Talkbass quote of the year. Well done

 

[Rune Bivrin]

Sounds resonant unplugged? Try bypassing tone and volume controls and check the joint between neck and body

Hi Dave,
Check your bass bridge plate's contact with a bass body - directly UNDER the saddles! [... yada yada - ...]

Sometimes I wonder if there's any point in replying to threads, seeing as so many evidently do not read replies before adding their own regurgitations of things already suggested and tried.

It would be cool if TB had a way for the OP to flag a thread as "SOLVED", "LEFT THE BAND" or "WE FIRED THE DRUMMER".

 

[shoulderpet]

Bright and punchy quarter pounders are not. They are dark and scooped.

Strange, the Quarter pounders I have in my bass are very bright sounding, yes they are scooped but they have a tonne of treble